She Persists: A Century of Women Artists in New York at Gracie Mansion

Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City's mayor, hosts 'She Persists: A Century of Women Artists in New York,' a landmark exhibition celebrating 100 years of women's art and activism. Curated by Jessica Bell Brown, the show features 60 works by 44 female artists, spanning 1919 to 2019. The title references Senator Elizabeth Warren's 2017 silencing during a Senate speech. Organized thematically—battling history, the body as battlefield, representing others, and expanding abstraction—the exhibition pairs established figures like Helen Frankenthaler with lesser-known artists such as Betty Blayton-Taylor, co-founder of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Works by Guerrilla Girls, Shirley Chisholm, Berenice Abbott, Diane Arbus, Ruth Orkin, Consuelo Kanaga, Cindy Sherman, Lorraine O'Grady, Isabel Bishop, Martha Rosler, Faith Ringgold, Florine Stettheimer, Tourmaline, Sasha Wortzel, Carmen Herrera, and Kara Walker are included. The show is part of First Lady Chirlane McCray's initiative to open Gracie Mansion to the public, reviving a tradition interrupted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It coincides with the 'She Built NYC' monument program. The exhibition runs through the end of the year, offering guided tours by the Gracie Mansion Conservancy.